Gadding About in Nova Scotia with my Friend Jeanette

Our house in Marble Mountain as seen from our beach.

A few weeks ago my friend Jeanette traveled with me to our place in Cape Breton.  It was the first trip to Eastern Canada for Jeanette, and we tried to take in a lot of sights.

The first of the trip was very frustrating because we missed our connection from Toronto to Halifax because of bad weather and we were stuck in the Toronto Airport for most of a day.  I used this as an opportunity to introduce Jeanette to Tim Horton's, Canada's Krispy Kreme.  The maple frosted donuts are particularly tasty.

Maple frosted donuts. 

We spent a few days along the South Shore of Nova Scotia.  Blue Rocks, Mahone Bay, and Peggy's Cove are all worthy of a visit.

Blue Rocks. 

St. James Anglican Church in Mahone Bay.

Mahone Bay on the South Shore.

Peggy's Lighthouse. 

Dan's cousin Bruce and his wife Becky provided us lodging for the one night we were in Halifax.  It's always fun to see them, and we especially enjoyed their three Huskies.

The Huskies. 

Our main visit was to Cape Breton and our place in Marble Mountain.  It is such a pretty place that we need not have ventured away from there, but we did make a few day trips.

Full moon over the Lake with reflection on our pond.

St. Peter's is a pretty little town on the east coast of CB and has several little restaurants that I like to frequent.  While in that area we drove over to Isle Madame and enjoyed the scenic views from the Acadian Villages.

Jen and Christene having lunch in St. Peter's. 

Isle Madame

Jeanette is a native of Australia, so a trip to Sydney, Nova Scotia was certainly on the agenda.  On the way over there is a lovely view from Kelly's Mountain looking down on the Seal Island Bridge that we traverse to reach Sydney.  A main attraction at the Sydney Port is the Giant Fiddle.

The Seal Island Bridge that we crossed to get to Sydney.

The Giant Fiddle in Sydney, NS. 

I believe Jeanette's favorite part of the trip was the visit to Bird Islands.  (Check back later for a blog on just the Bird Islands.)

Jen on the boat to Bird Islands. 

The last day we went to the Cabot Links Golf Course over in Inverness and up the Cabot Trail for just a bit.  A trip all the way round the Cabot Trail will have to wait for another time.

Looking out over the Cabot Links Golf Course. 

I hope I have whetted Jen's appetite for more trips to the Maritimes of  Eastern Canada for she is a gungho travel companion.

Lunch at the Panorama at Cabot Links

Enjoying lunch at Panorama. (L to R Jesse, Shelley, Pat, Mary, Dan) Photo by our waiter, Cassie, using Shelley's camera.

On our return from the trip around the Cabot Trail Monday, we stopped at the Cabot Links Golf Course in Inverness to have lunch at their restaurant, Panorama.  Dan and I were familiar with the restaurant because we celebrated my birthday there last year.  We were happy to introduce our friends, Mary, Shelley, and Jesse to this wonderful restaurant.

It was difficult for me to choose from the menu, but I finally decided on the lobster salad and it was a good choice.

Lobster salad.

Mary likewise chose the lobster. Dan chose the seafood chowder, Shelley opted for the Orzo Pasta Rustica (Roasted Chicken, Italian Sausage, Sundried Tomato & Fennel) and Jesse had the 15th Hole Club Sandwich.  They were all happy with their choices as was I.

Shelley's choice, Orzo Pasta Rustica.

The real dilemma was in selecting our desserts.   Mary who did not have dessert, but had a taste of each of ours rated them.  Her first choice was the Granny Smith Apple, Maple & Pecan Bread Pudding with chantilly cream & caramel sauce that Jesse chose.

Apple, maple, pecan, bread pudding garnished with almond lace cookie.

 Shelley's choice of Cape Breton Blueberry Cobbler with wild blueberries & Cabot's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Mary judged a close second best of the three. (I had this last year when we were here for dinner, and I can vouch for its deliciousness.)

Blueberry cobbler.

However,  Mary and I were a bit disappointed in my choice of the Butterscotch and Chocolate Mousse.  We prefer the light and fluffy mousse as opposed to mousse that is thick and creamy.

Chocolate and butterscotch mousse.

Panorama is without a doubt one of the premier Cape Breton restaurants, and husband and wife team, John Haine and Tracy Wallace are among the top chefs in the Province.  I'm looking forward to another visit to Panoroma before the summer is over.

Path of Gold at the Cabot Links Restaurant

The newly opened restaurant upstairs at the Cabot Links Golf Course Clubhouse in Inverness, Nova Scotia, ranks among the top restaurants in Cape Breton.  Dan and I celebrated my birthday there on Wednesday night.

Beautifully set table at the Cabot Links Restaurant.

The decor is  modern with white walls, white tables and white dishes, and the blue and white plaid carpet with tinges of orange plays well against the white. Mahogany panels on one side and mahogany chairs of modern shape soften the starkness.

The Cabot Links Restaurant dining room.

The lack of artwork on the austere walls may reflect the recent opening of the restaurant just a month ago.  Yet no art could rival that provided by nature in the breath taking vista over the water as viewed through the floor to ceiling windows along one whole side of the room.  There was a bit of  glare in the early evening from the sun’s path of gold  reflecting off the water.  Perhaps solar shades will be added to reduce the glare as needed.

View over the 18th hole to the ocean beyond.

The sweeping view over the 18th hole to the ocean beyond is matched only by the mouth watering cuisine.  Dan’s appetizer, an Asian inspired soup, pear with zucchini, with hints of cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger was a harbinger of more good food to come.

Halibut and scallops cassoulet.

We each chose the dinner special, a cassoulet of halibut and scallops in a white cream sauce with shredded  red and yellow sweet peppers, snow peas and fingerling potatoes.  The halibut and scallops were just-off-the-boat fresh..  The rich white cream sauce was mildly seasoned with a variety of herbs. Delicious!

For dessert it was difficult to choose between the maple bread pudding and the fresh blueberry cobbler. We chose to share a serving of the cobbler.  Wild blueberries, locally hand harvested, topped with a crispy crust, garnished with fresh plump highbush blueberries and mint leaf, and served with their homemade vanilla ice cream provided the perfect ending to a perfect meal.

Wild blueberry cobbler with homemade vanilla ice cream.

                       
Husband and wife chefs John Haine and Tracy Wallace have a winner here.  I suspect you’ll be hearing more about these two award-winning chefs and this restaurant at Cabot Links.

After this memorable birthday dinner it was off to the races–literally.  Another birthday treat was an evening at the harness races in Inverness.  More about that later. Stay tuned.